Abstract:

The purpose of the study was to investigate adults who have excessive load or demands ("Overloaded Adults") and their readiness level for learning ("Readiness"). The study was intended to discover the relationship, if any, between Overloaded Adults' load and their Readiness, the reasons Overloaded Adults do not participate in particular educational activities, the percentages of Overloaded Adults in a range from "able and willing" to "neither able nor willing" to participate in various educational activities, the power sources Overloaded Adults identify as present or not present, and how Overloaded Adults' demographic characteristics relate to their load and Readiness.The sample in the study consisted of 60 Overloaded Adults. The researcher used a convenience sampling of available passersby walking on downtown sidewalks in four Indiana cities who were willing to stop and complete the written survey, which consisted of two parts: the Type E Stress Inventory developed by Harriet B. Braiker and a questionnaire developed by the researcher. The researcher also conducted 21 tape-recorded telephone interviews. The researcher analyzed the data using the Pearson correlation coefficient statistic and a scatter plot, tallies and percentages, observations, and interview responses incorporated into a profile and description of general themes.The researcher discovered that the majority of adults (77%) walking on downtown sidewalks on Saturdays were Overloaded Adults. Further, the researcher found, unlike McClusky's theory of margin, that there was likely no relationship between Overloaded Adults' load and Readiness and that Overloaded Adults with a surplus of power over load were not necessarily more likely to learn than Overloaded Adults with a surplus of load over power. The researcher also found 1) at least 30 inhibiting conditions or situations that shaped Overloaded Adults' perceptions of their readiness to learn, 2) Overloaded Adults were very willing and somewhat able to participate in various educational activities, 3) Overloaded Adults had numerous available sources of power, and 4) Overloaded Adults with particular demographic characteristics were at high risk for not being ready to learn. Based on these and other findings in the study, the researcher developed a Model for Understanding Overloaded Adults' Readiness Level for Learning.